Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist
by LupusInfernus
Summary: The Konaha 11 have all grown up. Having all attained the rank of Jounin, they now hold positions of responsibility within the village. They are entrusted with the most important tasks. Embarking on the toughest missions and instructing the new generation. These are there adventures.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This is just fan work for other fans and not for profit in any way.

* * *

**Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist (Version 1.93)**

**Chapter 1**

Sakura sighed as she walked along the streets of Fukaku town. She disliked these covert missions, even though her skills made her well suited to them. At least today she was wearing one of her more preferred outfits, an elegant pink dress parted at the sides to allow ease of movement. The ensemble provided greater mobility but it was still slightly longer than she would have preferred. Unfortunately, due to her alias, it was necessary for her attire to be more formal.

Fukaku town was an important trading port located on the south side of a large island between the three countries of fire, water and lightning. Like most coastal communities, it had numerous docks where many ships berthed. Most of the harbor side areas were filled with rowdy taverns and inns where the sailors frequented. However, the trade from three countries brought a significant amount of wealth to the town and there were many finer establishments as well.

The Dolphin's Dive was a quayside restaurant that tended to more refined patrons. The two storey building was elevated above the water and it offered a stunning view of the sea. Built along the beautiful harbour-side walk, it was a favoured drinking place for the wealthy.

Sakura's mark happened to be a Jounin from the hidden village of mist. Intel stated that he carried top secret information concerning a large tactical operation to be carried out in the next couple of months. The elders back at Konoha were concerned about the large scale activities of mist ninjas in the area. Sakura was tasked by the Hokage to obtain the secret plans and return them to the hidden village of leaf.

* * *

Bright lamps lit up the harbour walkway, illuminating the path for the pink haired girl. Across the water, the lights danced over the waves as the sea quietly washed against the piers. As Sakura arrived at her destination, she could smell the salty tang of the ocean wafting up from the waters below. Looking up at the establishment, the shinobi took a deep breath. According to her intel, the mist ninja usually entered The Dolphin's Dive for a night of drinking before leaving at around midnight.

"Show time," she whispered quietly to herself as she walked up to the large front doors. Upon entering the building, Sakura found herself in a lavish restaurant. Large clear windows offered magnificent views of the harbour and the pristine decor of the tables hinted at a prestigious clientele. Due to the late hour, only a few scattering of tables were still occupied. She avoided the tables and headed for the bar upstairs. The attendant at the top greeted her before showing her in. The bar was as finely furnished as the restaurant downstairs. All the seats were leather and the couches were done in velvet and so were the cushions. There was an open air balcony and comfortable alcoves against the walls. Sakura saw a few wealthy merchants and ship captains enjoying a late drink. She did a quick scan of the room and soon found who she was looking for.

Like her, Kane Shikara was disguising his occupation as a ninja. The man was in his late twenties and was wearing rather formal business style attire. His manner at this hour was somewhat laid back. His short black hair seemed slightly ruffled and the top few buttons of his shirt were undone. He was seated at the bar in the centre of the room, seemingly relaxed and enjoying his drink. Sakura quietly and discreetly made her way towards him. Seating herself next to him, she ordered herself a strong brand of sake. Kane watched as she downed the strong alcohol in one go before ordering another one. Sakura glanced over at the man and gave him a half smile before proceeding to drink two more glasses. The man gave her a curious expression before deciding to speak up.

"Not many young ladies come at this hour to drink," he commented to her.

Sakura finished another shot. "Don't people drink late at night to drown out their sorrows?"

"Well sure," Kane replied. "But the last time I tried what you're doing, it did not end well for me. I ended up in a casino, taking off my pants and trying to place them as a wager."

The young woman laughed. She couldn't help but feel slightly charmed by this man. Composing herself a bit, she ordered another shot of sake.

"I have some relationship problems," she confided to him as she accepted her beverage from the bartender.

"That bad eh?" Kane replied in exaggerated sympathy.

Sakura laughed half heartedly. After a slight pause, she turned to face the man, her eyes slightly unfocused. "Have you ever had someone your parents arranged on you that you didn't like and when you tried to end it, they clung on to you like dirt?"

"Hmmm," the man thought for awhile. "I've never had anyone my parents arranged on me but I've had plenty of relationships where my partner refused to accept that it was over."

"Well my ex is the rich son of wealthy merchant parents," the pink haired girl explained. "He hopes to make me his obedient housewife but I want to be successful by my own rights, you know what I mean. Not some trophy to be paraded around. I mean when I got my nursing degree, I though my parents would support me in my future career but nooo." Turning back to her drink, the girl shook her head. "Instead of being happy for me, they arrange a marriage between me and this pompous ass."

"I understand what you mean," the man replied, nodding his head and seemingly sympathizing with her.

Even in her slightly inebriated state, Sakura could tell that Kane didn't understand at all, he was just pretending that he did. 'Men' she thought to herself. At least Naruto used to be honest and admitted that he didn't understand. She drank some more and turned to face the man again. "Anyway, enough about me. What do you do for a living?"

"Me? I work at a bank."

"Why the hell are you in a bar by yourself?" Sakura asked with a slight slur in her speech. "I'd be beside myself if I got a job like yours."

"Actually I was here celebrating." He explained, "I just got promoted. People come to bars to celebrate as well you realize."

"But it's so late, and it seems rather lame to celebrate by yourself," she pointed out.

"Well I like my alcohol so I stayed back a bit after all my friends left."

'His friends,' Sakura thought as she finished her sake. Maybe he had fellow ninjas here earlier in the evening and he had gotten them their secret instructions by getting them all raving drunk... Sakura's inner self slapped herself. The alcohol must really be getting to her.

"Would you wait a tiny second?" she asked Kane, "I need to go to the ladies room."

"Sure thing," he replied, "I'll mind your seat."

Sakura gave him a lopsided grin and pretended to stagger off to the bathroom. After she nearly fell and had to steady herself against a wall, she decided that she didn't really need to pretend to be drunk.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This is just fan work for other fans and not for profit in any way.

* * *

**Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist (Version 1.93)**

**Chapter 2**

The light from the full moon shone across the seaside town, illuminating the streets and rooftops in a pale glow. From his position atop of a nearby building, Rock Lee vigilantly watched The Dolphin's Dive. The town's clock tower suddenly rang out, a deep brass noise that reverberated through the night air. It was half past eleven. He was supposed to enter the bar just before midnight. If all went according to plan, Sakura-chan would have charmed Kane by then and he'd be able to give her the excuse she needed to get close to the mist ninja and fulfil her mission.

Instead of his customary green jumpsuit Lee was wearing a black leather jacket over a red silk shirt. It was an expensive outfit specifically chosen for this mission. His hair was also slicked back and artfully styled. To top if off, he wore a silver chain necklace and a pair of dark leather gloves.

Lee thought back to his extensive play-acting training he underwent when he had first applied to become a Jounin. Unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, he had made the most of the things that he could do. Even though he found this outfit a bit uncomfortable, Lee felt confident about this mission. He would not even have to play-act as he'd genuinely been rejected by Sakura-chan before in the past. Just thinking about the pink haired girl brought a slight red flush to his cheeks. She was so beautiful, strong and confident in herself. Lee shook himself out of his reverie. He hoped she was okay.

* * *

Sakura splashed some water on her face in an attempt to clear her head. It worked to some extent but she was still obviously drunk. She handled alcohol well and her face wasn't flushed but she was definitely not thinking clearly. She felt way happier than she should be while on a mission.

Making sure no one was looking; she unzipped the back of her dress and pulled it down to her waist, revealing her white satin bra. She reached behind and undid the clasp, exposing her breasts. Remembering her medical training, Sakura got some water and using her chakra, held it over her exposed chest, right above her liver. Using the liquid as a medium, she slowly drew the alcohol out of her body, much like she was extracting poison. She thought back to the time she had used the same technique on a sand ninja to remove a deadly poison from his system. The method was thorough and in a short time, she felt her mind regaining it's clarity as most of the alcohol left her. She dried herself off and quickly redressed.

Sakura staggered back into the bar and took a quick scan of the room. Most of the patrons were gone and only one or two people were left, mostly sitting in the back near the alcoves. No sign of Lee, DAMN. She practically fell back into her seat before giving Kane a lazy, giddy smile. "Hello stranger," she greeted him.

"Ummm, hi."

"Did you happen to see my ex looking for me while I was in the bathroom?" Sakura asked innocently, "He's got bushy eyebrows, disgusting eyelashes and he's dressed ridiculously."

"No I haven't seen anyone matching that description," Kane replied, "Why, is he likely to find you here?"

"He might. Like I said, he's clingy. I've had to stay at some run down place to avoid attracting his attention."

"Where are you staying?"

"Some motel I forgot the name of," she replied absently.

"That's no place for a pretty lady like yourself to stay," Kane told her as he took a sip from his glass. After thinking for awhile, he turned to look at her. "What if you stayed at a place that was booked under a man? Would that escape your ex's attention?"

Sakura gave him her best impression of a wary but drunk young woman. "That man wouldn't happen to be you would it?" she asked.

"Ummm not necessarily."

"Oh no mister. Nice try but I don't think so," she slurred at him. "I don't even know your name."

"It's Ken," he supplied while offering her a handshake. "What's your name?"

A pseudonym; how unsurprising. Sakura opened her mouth to reply but there was a loud commotion at the door. Somebody was forcefully trying to get into the bar. Suddenly, the doors burst open and Rock Lee entered. She nearly didn't recognise him from his outfit.

"Sara," Lee cried out in relief, "I've been looking all over for you. Come home now, it's not safe for you to be out this late."

"I'm never going home with you Eyebrows," Sakura replied back vehemently. Lee looked genuinely hurt and for a moment, Sakura felt that she might have overplayed her part. But in an instant Lee's concerned expression returned and he was beside her.

"Come now, you're drunk," he told her as he took her by the shoulders and proceeded to half carry, half drag her to the door. "We'll talk later in the morning when you're more sober."

Sakura let herself be taken halfway to the door before she started the pretence of struggling. "Let go of me," she snapped at Lee and began to fight him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kane stand up and approach them. However, before the mist ninja could intervene, she freed one of her arms and gave Lee a slap to the face. She put quite a bit of force behind the blow and it knocked her "boyfriend" to the ground. 'Perhaps I overdid that one,' she thought to herself but figured she had to make it look convincing. Lee looked dazed and shocked from the blow. Sakura turned to face Kane. He seemed greatly amused by the turn of events. She slowly made her way towards him and snaked an arm around his waist. "Take me to your place," she told him in a clear voice.

"Sure thing Sara," he replied as he brought his own arm around to support her.

Sakura glanced back at Lee. Either he's really improved his role-acting skills, or I probably shouldn't have hit him as hard. 'I'll apologise to him later,' she told herself as she was led away.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This is just fan work for other fans and not for profit in any way.

* * *

**Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist (Version 1.93)**

**Chapter 3**

The girl was clearly drunk and from the amount of sake that she'd had, Kane wasn't surprised. What did surprise him was that she hadn't passed out yet. She was leaning heavily against his shoulder; her pink hair tickling his neck. He could smell her fragrance, the scent of wildflowers with a hint of cherry blossoms. The girl's right arm was wrapped tightly around his waist and her eyes were unfocused but still open.

'She must be able to handle alcohol well,' Kane thought to himself. He knew the type. Those depressed girls forced into a relationship with some rich snob by their parents. He'd known a few of them in his time, they had a tendency to try and drown their sorrows by partying and drinking. They were easy that way, emotionally vulnerable and desperate for someone who could make them feel better about themselves and their lives.

The pair walked alongside the water, a cool night breeze drifting against them. Kane led the girl along, the soft glow from the lamps illuminating their way. The couple eventually arrived at their destination and with some difficulty, the man managed to get his companion to his room on the second floor. The girl hadn't uttered a word since leaving The Dolphin's Dive. Kane gently guided her to the king sized bed and sat her down. She leaned back against the pillows without uttering a word. Kane took off his shoes and then went to his suitcase and began rummaging through it. After taking out some toiletries, he proceeded into the bathroom to clean himself up.

* * *

Sakura watched the mist ninja go into the bathroom before examining her surroundings. It seemed to be a standard hotel room; a large bed, a wardrobe, a writing desk. She wondered where Kane had hidden his weapons. A ninja of his rank would definitely have hidden weapons in the room. She looked at the suitcase resting on top of the desk. The secret plans might be in there but he had left it in his room when he went to the bar so probably not. It was most likely still on him, hidden in his formal jacket; she doubted he would've let it leave his side.

The shower in the bathroom suddenly came on. It seemed that he wanted to clean himself up. Sakura thought back to her undercover training and how her sensei told her to be alert and observant. She was taught to keep a firm hold of her alias but only up until when it was necessary. Her friend Ino had often boasted to Sakura about her exploits while undercover, of how she had seduced countless handsome men and while they were unawares, had stolen away with their most trusted secrets. Sakura sighed, she was never as confident of herself and her own looks as Ino was with hers. Even being taught under Tsunade-sama hadn't given her the confidence to use her charms to take advantage of men in the ways that Ino had done.

Kane was pretty handsome she had to admit to herself. The man carried himself confidently and was also a very smooth talker. If they were normal everyday people and not ninjas from different villages, she wouldn't mind dating him. Sakura shook herself from her musings. Her mission was to obtain secret information from this Jounin. He may look like a charming, smooth talking banker but he was a ninja of the mist. She will not be charmed by his looks; she will succeed in her mission no matter what. She is a Jounin of the leaf and one of the Konoha eleven. She will let her training and instincts guide her. The shower suddenly stopped. Sakura took a deep breath and composed herself. She returned to her role as a drunk, young woman.

* * *

Kane stepped out of the bathroom draped in a beige nightgown. He noticed the girl sitting back on the bed, gazing lazily at him

"Here," he said as he approached her. Kneeling beside the bed, he proceeded to take off her high heeled boots. The girl just idly watched as he pulled them off and set them aside. Kane then reached up under her dress. Taking a hold of the stockings at the top of her thighs, he slowly and gently rolled them down her smooth legs. Sara leaned her head back and sighed contently. Placing the rolled stockings on the carpeted floor, he got up and sat next to her on the bed. The girl had her head back against the pillow and her eyes were closed. He reached out and brushed a lock of her pink hair away from her face. Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed at him. He saw hesitation in those mystical, green orbs.

"Ken, I..." She faltered, unable to speak more.

Before she could find her words, Kane reached over and gently took her hair band off. Setting it aside, he ran his hand through her vibrant pink hair.

"It's alright," he told her in a soft voice, "You can rest on the bed and I'll sleep on the floor."

Kane slowly slipped his hand away; he didn't want to pressure her. These types of girls were fragile, they usually craved companionship more than anything else and wanted nothing more than to be loved and comforted.

As Kane turned to stand up, he suddenly felt a hand grabbing onto his shoulder. He turned to see Sara's eyes looking at him. Her other hand reached behind his head and slowly brought his face closer to hers. A second later, they kissed and he suddenly tasted her sweet fragrance as their lips embraced each other. After awhile, she drew back and stared at him intently. He saw wild confusion in her green eyes. But in an instant, the look was gone and was replaced with reckless determination. She suddenly straddled him and stripped his nightgown from his shoulders. He in turn moved his hands behind her back and unzipped her dress. She let him pull the dress off her arms and down to her waist before grabbing his face and passionately kissing him again. Kane began sliding his hands from Sara's smooth flawless waists up to her back. He unclipped her bra and slid it gently along her arms. The girl broke the kiss and pulled her bra off before bringing her hands onto Kane's chest. She ran her hands across his skin and up to his shoulders and pushed him flat against the bed. As Sara sat over him looking down, she began to slide the rest of her dress off. She slowly pushed it past her hips and then down and off her legs. Kane looked up at the beautiful, pink haired girl straddling him, the girl who was now naked except for her white satin panties. He gave her a smile and placed his hands on her waist; relishing in the soft texture of her skin beneath his hands. She grabbed his nightgown and slowly parted it off his legs. When Sara discovered his lack of underwear, she gave him a questioning look.

"I like to sleep unclothed," he explained to her.

Narrowing her eyes, she massaged him with one of her hands. Kane closed his eyes and sighed contently. As his mind swam in sensuous oblivion, he suddenly sensed something wrong. He opened his eyes just in time to see a fist wrapped in chakra come down and connect with his head.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This is just fan work for other fans and not for profit in any way.

* * *

**Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist (Version 1.93)**

**Chapter 4**

Sakura sat back from the unconscious Kane. She was breathing heavily, her naked chest rising and falling at a rapid pace. Taking the nightgown from under the body she threw it on top to cover him. She didn't want to look at the naked man; she had nearly lost herself and made love to him. Even so, the ninja girl was proud of herself. She had held onto her alias until it suited her before discarding it. All she needed to do now was obtain the secret plans and make it back to Konoha. That shouldn't be that hard. With the blow she had just given him, he should be unconscious for quite awhile.

Standing up, the shinobi redressed herself before making her way to the suitcase. She examined it for a second before punching the locks twice with her chakra imbued fists. The front of the suitcase popped open. Sakura smiled to herself. She rummaged inside but didn't find anything of note. Standing up, she decided to check the bathroom next. She found Kane's jacket, hanging on a clothes hanger. Searching the jacket, Sakura found a few shurikens and kunai and an open envelope. Inside the envelope there was only a slip of paper with a sequence of hands seals. These couldn't be the secret plans. It was just an ordinary piece of paper. Maybe it was a password for something.

Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps reached her ears. Sakura quickly tucked the paper away and exited the bathroom. The sound of footsteps got louder, they were coming from the corridor outside. The pink haired girl quickly assessed her options. Did Kane have back-up? Did they notice something amiss and decided to check on him? If so, she needed an exit strategy just in case. The girl looked towards the window. Her eyes widened; a mist ninja was flying through the air towards her. The man flew into the room, shattering the window and sending glass flying everywhere. At the same moment, the door burst open and three more mist ninja entered the room. Reacting quickly, Sakura slammed her fist against the wall. The entire building shuddered from the blow and the wall crumbled to pieces. Taking advantage of the brief hesitation from the mist ninja, Sakura bolted through the open hole she just made. A shuriken whistled through the air and slammed into her back. The ninja girl clenched her teeth in pain but continued running, the sound of her pursuers close behind. Smashing through a door into the main corridor, she made for a nearby window and dived through. Tumbling through the air, Sakura landed and rolled to her feet. Standing up, she smashed her fist against the side of the hotel. The stonework crumpled as gigantic cracks fractured across the side of the building. Not bothering to look back, Sakura ran off into the night.

* * *

The mist ninja surveyed the alleyway, searching for any sign of the girl. Seeing that she was long gone, he kicked a nearby bin in frustration. Worabi, Jounin of the mist, had been tasked with following Kane and making sure no one interfered with him. Now this girl out of nowhere managed to take him out and in addition, she stole the pass code that he had been carrying. And all this while under his watch!

"FUCKING BITCH," he swore out loud.

He yelled a few choice words at his subordinates and gave them some specific instructions. They scurried off to gather the other teams.

Earlier in the evening, he had seen the girl walk into the bar and watched on as she got herself roaring drunk. He saw the confrontation with her ex and her subsequent retreat with Kane to his hotel. She didn't seem like a ninja from an enemy village at all. Nonetheless, Worabi had still followed the pair to the hotel just to make sure. The couple had then entered the room and had gotten intimate with each other. Just when everything had seemed fine, the girl knocked Kane out in one blow.

Kane. In one hit. This was the same Kane that had single handedly entered a warlord's camp and assassinated him and all his lieutenants.

Worabi glanced at the wall of the hotel. Jagged cracks had spidered all across its surface. Pieces of stone and mortar had crumbled along the fissures and fallen to the alleyway floor. The mist Jounin decided to reassess his thinking. Perhaps Kane was lucky that he was only unconscious. Considering the force of the blow that had damaged the wall, the man could've easily been smashed to a pulp.

The girl was definitely a shinobi, that's for sure; most likely from the cloud village or the leaf village. Probably a leaf ninja seeing as Konoha's Hokage was rumoured to have incredible strength. In addition, Fukaku town was also closer to Konoha.

The mist ninja considered his next course of action. A medical ninja should be tending to Kane. Worabi needed to get that activation code back from the bitch who had stolen it. Taking out one of his kunais, he leapt up onto a neighbouring building before vanishing into the shadows of the night.

* * *

Reaching behind her back, Sakura grabbed the shuriken and in one swift move pulled it out. She gasped as pain shot up her side. The weapon clattered to the pavement as she dropped it, her fingers wet with her own blood. Gritting through the pain, Sakura channeled chakra into her hand and applied a healing technique to her wound. She felt the pain slowly subsiding as her injury quickly healed itself.

Slumping to the ground, Sakura leaned back against the alleyway wall. The events of the night had taken their toll on her stamina and she took the opportunity now to rest and gather her thoughts. Ignoring the ice cold pavement, she thought back to the ninja who came through the window. She recognised him; he had been at The Dolphin's Dive and was one of the last remaining patrons. He must've been the ninja guarding Kane's back. But Kane was a highly skilled Jounin yet he still had someone tailing him, protecting him from the shadows. Yet she couldn't find the plans to their tactical operation. Sakura took out the slip of paper with the sequence and looked at it. Either this list of hand seals was important or she had failed to find what he was guarding.

Suddenly it dawned on her. The sequence of seals must be an activation code to view those secret plans. Kane carried the key while the plans were kept by someone else. Without both, no one can read them. It was an extra precaution against someone stealing them and reading its contents. Now the only two people to know the key are Kane and herself. Sakura wondered if he would be coming around anytime soon, she did hit him pretty hard.

The night had become cold, the air chilly against the ninja girl's bare arms. Sakura sighed, her breath misting in front of her in the cold night air. The plans were most likely located in a secret base that the mist village had set up here. She needed to find one of the mist ninjas looking for her, follow him around and hope that he will lead her to the plans. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Crouching on a rooftop, Worabi surveyed Fukaku town below him, his eyes searching for any sign of the shinobi who had stolen the pass code. The other teams still haven't managed to spot the thief. Damn that bitch. Had she already left the perimeter? Or was she still within the town limits, biding her time to escape. The mist Jounin swore again. His speculations weren't doing anything except winding himself up. A flash of smoke suddenly appeared behind him and from it emerged a mist kunoichi.

"Report," Worabi demanded from his subordinate.

"Sir," the black haired girl responded. "We've finished checking all of Kane's possessions and we were unable to find any slips of paper that he might have left behind."

Worabi shook his head. He hadn't really expected them to have found anything. It was a very remote possibility that the thief missed what Kane had been safeguarding.

"Any news from the medical team?" the man asked.

"Master Kane is still unconscious from his severe head trauma. The medical team do not think that he will be waking up anytime soon."

"I want you to go back out there, and find that fucking bitch," Worabi swore again.

"Sir," the kunoichi replied hesitantly, "I was just with the east patrol team; I was relieved of my position just a few minutes ago. I came to give a report before going back to–"

"Well I want you to keep looking," the man cut in, "I want every available ninja on the streets looking for her, including you. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir."

The girl bowed before leaving in the same way in which she came. Worabi continued to look for his target. The light from the full moon had bathed the town in a pale eerie light. However, even with the help of the moonlight, there were still too many places that a thief could hide on a night like this.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This is just fan work for other fans and not for profit in any way.

* * *

**Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist (Version 1.93)**

**Chapter 5**

From her position on a second storey veranda, Sakura watched a number of dark clothed figures exiting an apartment complex in downtown Fukaku. She had noticed that the enemy ninja were all leaving and entering from this building. It seemed to be the base of operations for the hidden mist here. The secret plans were most likely inside.

Suddenly, footsteps alerted her to someone moving across the roof. Sakura quickly and quietly made her way to the top of the building. Looking around, she spotted a mist ninja making her way across town. The girl was jumping from building to building, her black ponytail flowing behind her as she moved. Sakura immediately gave chase, swiftly closing the distance between them. Seemingly intent on her destination, the mist shinobi fails to notice that someone is tailing her.

As Sakura followed the other girl, her thoughts went back to the Hokage's instructions. 'Find those plans at all costs. Once obtained, return them to Konoha immediately.'

The best way to obtain the plans was to infiltrate the base somehow. She needed to take this girl out silently so as not to draw attention to herself. Sakura wasn't confident enough in her shuriken skills to be able to take out an enemy ninja in one throw whilst moving at speed. Since that wasn't an option, she decided to try a different tactic.

As the mist ninja performed another jump, Sakura made her move. The black haired girl flew through the air and landed on the other rooftop. As her feet touched down, she heard an echo of a noise behind her. Startled, she turned around. Her eyes caught a flash of pink against the moonlight just before she tripped.

Sakura had executed a sweeping kick and knocked the girl's feet from under her. The black haired ninja hit the ground hard and the impact knocked her breath away. The leaf Jounin's hand shot out and jabbed the girl in the neck, hitting two key pressure points. The girl's body instantly went limp.

The pink haired ninja crouched down to check the vitals of the unconscious kunoichi. Satisfied, she picked up the body and carried it to an alleyway and out of plain sight. Placing the body on the ground, she searched the girl and found some keys and assorted pieces of paper. After pocketing those items, she stood up and looked down at the mist shinobi. Sakura's hands suddenly began moving, forming a sequence of seals. There was a blast of smoke and Sakura's appearance had changed to that of the ninja girl she had just knocked unconscious. Smiling to herself, she hid the body before leaving the alley and heading back towards the enemy base.

The disguised Jounin walked confidently towards her destination, her posture straight and unwavering. In reality, her heart was beating rapidly as she approached the building. Her anxiety always peaked whenever she was in disguise but she had learned to hide it well. Sakura walked up to a small side door that she had seen the mist ninjas enter and exit from. Finding it locked, she took out the keys she had found in the other kunoichi's pocket and tried them. The third key she tried unlocked the door. Behind the door was a long winding staircase that led about three stories straight down. After descending to the bowels of the building, Sakura found herself in a corridor. Continuing onwards, she kept her face impassive, not revealing the fact that she had never been there before. The corridor opened up into an anteroom where a slim man sat behind a large wooden table.

"Going to get some rest Kiara?" the man asked, "Any luck in finding the enemy ninja?"

"No, luck," Sakura quickly replied. "They're still searching."

"Well you take your rest; you look like you can do with a break."

"Yeah thanks."

Relieved that she hadn't blown her cover, Sakura continued onwards. She felt like she was in an industrial building. Many of the corridors were grey concrete and some were lined with pipes. The leaf Jounin wondered what they were for. Making her way along, she came across a spare store room and snuck in. Rummaging through the shelves, she found a bottle of energy drink and some chocolate bars. Taking them, Sakura wearily sat down in a corner and started eating her pilfered snacks. As she ate, she thought over her possible options. She could create a distraction and then find the place that is the most heavily defended as that would be most likely where the plans would be located. However, that would involve her getting past all the guards, finding the plans and then making it out. A hard task even while disguised. Another possibility is for her to wander about asking people, but that would quickly draw suspicious looks and her real identity could be easily discovered. She wasn't confident enough in her ability to talk herself out of situations to try and attempt such a plan.

Suddenly, she saw two people in medical attire rushing past the storeroom. Sakura took a peek through the small window affixed to the door. The two medical personnel seemed to be in a hurry. Suddenly, an idea came to her and she exited the store room and ran after them.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This is just fan work for other fans and not for profit in any way.

* * *

**Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist (Version 1.93)**

**Chapter 6**

Kane waved off the two nurses as he groggily woke up. It felt like he had the worst hangover in his life. The bed that he was sitting on was one of many in the white walled room. It appeared that he was in the hospital ward. Well, at least he was alive. He suspected it could have been a whole lot worse. The nurses continued to pester him, urging him to lie down and rest and not to strain himself.

"I'm fine," he reassured them. "Can't you see that I'm totally coherent?"

"Master Kane," one of them objected. "You've suffered severe head trauma and you need to lie down and rest."

Kane ignored them and instead, tried to remember what had happened. He was having a very nice day when something had gone awry. He remembered the scent of wildflowers and cherry blossoms. He remembered a girl, a beautiful girl with pink hair. She was with him and they were making love. They were passionately enjoying each other's company when she had sent a chakra imbued punch at his head.

'Damn it,' he swore to himself. 'Why do all the pretty ones turn out to be enemy ninja from another country?'

Just then, two more medical personnel walked in followed closely by a kunoichi.

"I already told you guys that I'm fine."

"With all due respect…" one of them started but Kane held up a hand to forestall him.

He turned his attention to the ninja girl who he recognised as Kiara.

"Let me guess," Kane directed his question to her. "Worabi's pissed off."

"Master Kane," the black haired girl replied in a surprised voice. "You've recovered."

"It'll take more than one punch to kill me."

"We were unable to find the paper amongst your belongings," the girl informed him. "That girl must have taken it. With you unconscious, we were afraid that its contents might be lost."

"So I'm assuming from your statement that you haven't caught the ninja who's responsible for all this?" Kane asked.

When the girl indicated in the negative, Kane silently swore to himself. He was never going to live this incident down. Worabi's probably pissed off enough to mouth off to all his superiors on how he majorly screwed up on his job. "Go ahead Kiara, rub it in."`

"Sorry sir," the kunoichi apologized. "I'm afraid we still haven't apprehended the culprit."

"It doesn't matter. That information alone is useless."

"Do you recall the information?"

"Yes," Kane replied. "Even though I feel like I'm having the biggest migraine ever, I still remember it."

"We have to ensure that the information is not lost," the shinobi informed him.

"Don't worry, I won't be forgetting that information."

"What if you suffer a post traumatic stroke or a delayed brain bleed?" the black haired ninja girl asked. "We can't risk losing that information."

"Did Worabi send you to get me to open those plans?" Kane asked the Kiara. When she nodded in the affirmative, he sighed, exasperated at his situation. "Fine I'll come and unlock those damn plans."

"Sir!" the medical staff exclaimed as the mist Jounin stood up.

"I told you I'm fine. Just leave me alone. I promise if I don't feel well later on, I'll come back and rest."

The four medical staff looked at each other but was powerless to stop the man as he walked out. Kane slowly staggered into the corridor with the ninja girl following close behind. She waited patiently for him, seemingly intent on letting him take the lead. Composing himself, Kane orientated himself before making his way through the building.

"You must think me a hopeless womanizer to be taken off guard by an enemy kunoichi."

"I assumed you thought it was safe because there were people watching your back." Kiara replied.

"Truth be told, I would've probably done the same even if they weren't watching my back," Kane admitted.

"I suppose everyone has their weaknesses."

Laughing at her reply he grinned. "So you think I have a weakness for women?" He didn't blame her for thinking so. He seriously screwed up this time.

"Well, you didn't check to see if she was a ninja before attempting to seduce her" she commented.

"She was a very good actor. I really just thought that she was a normal girl trying to avoid her ex-boyfriend." Kane suddenly paused. He thought back to the eyebrow guy who appeared to be Sara's boyfriend. "Oh shit. The boyfriend must have been in on the act, which means there's at least two enemy ninja out there."

"I'm sure the teams out there would notice if an unknown ninja showed up," she reassured him. "They'd be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary."

"Maybe you should go out and inform the teams just to be sure."

"I will but I have to make sure that you correctly remembered the information that was entrusted to you. If you forget, we'd have one more problem on our hands."

"I didn't forget," he told her. Why did everyone mistrust his memory? Just because he was a bad judge of character didn't mean that his mind was incapable of remembering nine simple seals. Kane suddenly missed his footing and staggered.

"Are you alright?" Kiara asked him in concern.

"Yeah I'm fine," He replied as he held onto the wall for support. "Could you lend me a hand?"

The ninja girl grabbed the Jounin's arm and pulled him up. Kane steadied himself against her shoulder. He inched forward a few steps while being supported by the girl.

"I'm just still a bit dizzy from my head trauma I guess."

"Oh come on and let's get this thing over and done with," the black haired kunoichi told him, exasperated from the delay.

"Ok ok, relax," Kane tried to placate her. He began moving again with the girl's aid. He smiled inwardly to himself. It was nice having a pretty girl holding him and supporting him as they walked along. It was even nice enough to feign dizziness for.

* * *

Sakura silently swore. Kane was a good deal taller than her and he wasn't that light. This mission had become increasingly trying on her nerves, not to mention exhausting. They finally rounded the hallway and came to a wide corridor. The double doors at the end were guarded by two mist ninjas. 'Finally,' Sakura thought to herself. Now that Kane had led her to the plans, she just needed to grab them and get out.

"Sensei?" one of the ninja guards asked. "We thought you were in the medical wing being treated for a head trauma."

Kane quickly stood up from the girl he was leaning on. "I'm quite fine. Nothing could keep me down for long."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. Had he been faking the dizziness all this time? Did he just feign an inability to walk by himself as an excuse to put his arms around her? Didn't he just compromise himself barely an hour past due to his womanizing ways?

"Worabi sent Kiara to tell me to open the scroll with the plans," the Jounin told the two other ninja. "The medical staff thinks I might suffer some delayed brain bleed or some crap and pressured me to do this before my head loses the information."

"Sir, we were told not to let anyone into this room," one of them objected.

"Oh don't worry," Kane reassured them. "I've got an access key to that room." He rummaged through his pockets. "Ah crap, the medical staff must've taken the things in my pockets. Kiara, could you use your key?"

"Sure," Sakura replied as she took out the keys she pilfered from the real Kiara and walked towards the door.

"Kiara doesn't actually have access to that room." Kane's said out loud. The man's words stopped her in her tracks. "But then again, you're not Kiara are you."

Sakura's heart had leapt up when he uttered those words. 'Shit,' she swore to herself, 'he made me.' The two ninjas in front of her were startled, but had quickly reached for their weapons. They were eyeing both her and Kane suspiciously, not sure what to make of them. Kane was unarmed and injured and these two ninja appeared to be only chuunin. This shouldn't be that hard of a fight.

Moving with lightning speed, Sakura dropped the keys and unleashed two punches at the ninja on her left. The man knocked away her first attack and blocked the second. A big mistake. Sakura's punch, even though blocked, broke his arm and slammed him into the wall behind him. Suddenly, the sound of hand seals being formed reached Sakura's ears and she quickly rolled off to the side of the corridor. An instant later a large torrent of water slammed into where she was mere millisecond ago. Leaping up from her roll, Sakura sent two shurikens flying at Kane. The Jounin stopped his ninjustu attack and ducked out of the way. With the blast of water gone, Sakura turned and sent a round kick at the other chuunin. The ninja ducked the attack and countered with a sweeping low kick. The leaf Jounin leapt and avoided getting tripped but the other ninja quickly responded. He jumped up and sent a barrage of blows at her. Sakura's eyes flashed in concentration as she dodged and blocked each attack. Seeing a pattern, her hand flew out and caught one of the punches. The girl quickly grabbed the other's ninja's arm and twisted it up. The chuunin yelled in pain but Sakura also heard another sound; the sound of more hand seals being formed. She quickly swung the chuunin around, right into Kane's water prison technique. Seeing that he'd caught a fellow mist ninja in his large water sphere rather than the kunoichi, Kane released the technique. However, before the sphere of water was halfway collapsed, Sakura fired off a power punch right into the trapped chuunin. Her fist shot into the falling body of water, easily cutting through the liquid. Her chakra imbued hand connected with the chuunin, the force of the blow causing him to fly backwards sending water spraying everywhere. He flew backwards into Kane and the momentum sent them both crashing into the back wall. The wall cracked under the force of the blow and the two mist ninja collapsed in a heap.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This is just fan work for other fans and not for profit in any way.

* * *

**Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist (Version 1.93)**

**Chapter 7**

Sakura smiled, satisfied at the fight's outcome. Tucking a strand of wet hair behind her ear, she turned her attention to the locked room and the hidden plans inside. Building up her chakra, she punched the door three times in rapid succession. The steel door buckled but did not yield. Gritting her teeth, Sakura jumped up and delivered a whirlwind kick at the reinforced door. The blow finally knocked the door off its hinges and it fell to the ground. After waiting awhile to catch her breath, the ninja girl peered cautiously into the room. A table was inside and on top of it was a scroll. Sakura quickly walked towards the table but a sound behind her made her pause. She quickly stepped aside, just as a shuriken whistled through the air and slammed into the wooden table. Turning around, Sakura's eyes widened at what she saw. Kane had gotten up and was now wearing a weapon belt taken from the unconscious chuunin.

The mist ninja stared at her, a grim smile on his lips. "Most impressive, but then again, I'd expect nothing less from the Hokage's apprentice." The man slowly inched a few steps forward. "Sakura Haruno, Jounin of the leaf and one of the legendary Konoha Eleven. I'm pleased to finally make your formal acquaintance."

"Kane Shikara of the mist," Sakura returned the greeting. "You're not too bad yourself. Not many people can recover so quickly after suffering one of my attacks and you've managed to withstand two of them."

"Well, I'm quite skilled at using my chakra to deflect attacks. And that last attack you made wasn't even a direct hit on me."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "How did you know I was disguised?" she asked.

"Kiara seemed a bit different to me," Kane replied. "Also when you were helping me walk, I noticed that your scent was very familiar. It was the same fragrance as the girl from the bar; wildflowers with a hint of cherry blossom. Naturally, I placed your pink hair with your powerful attacks and put two and two together."

"I should've finished you off when you were unconscious."

"Yes you should have," the mist Jounin replied with a hard stare. "Because that will be the only chance that you'll ever have of landing a clean blow on me. Now that I know who you are, your capture here is inevitable."

The Konoha Jounin smiled at the other ninja. "Try me," Sakura replied and with that, she kicked out at the fallen door on the floor. The force of her kick was such that the metal door sliced through the doorframe and out into the corridor. Kane immediately dropped to the ground just as the door flew over him in a spray of debris. As it slammed into the back wall, Sakura turned and lunged at the table, grabbing both the embedded shuriken and the scroll. She twisted aside and sent the shuriken flying back at her opponent. The spinning weapon collides with a kunai that Kane had sent her way. Sakura quickly ducked to the side of the room where the other Jounin couldn't see her.

* * *

Kane slowly picked himself off the floor. The girl was very good, that was for sure. However, she was now trapped in a reinforced room with only one exit. He now had her cornered. Creeping quietly up to the doorway, Kane stuck to the wall to provide himself with maximum cover. All of a sudden, a kick out of nowhere came at his head. He desperately threw himself onto the floor. A heeled boot flew past and skimmed his hair. Kane turned quickly and looked up. Sakura was running across the ceiling, upside down. She had come at him from an angle that he didn't expect and it had nearly cost him his head. Suddenly, two more shurikens were sent back towards him. Kane rolled aside and the two projectiles barely miss him.

When he looked up, he saw the back of the ninja girl as she turned the corridor and ran off. Swearing, he quickly picked himself up and gave chase. Luckily, the hallway was long and by the time he had rounded the corner, Sakura was only halfway along it. Taking out two shurikens, he sent them flying at the girl. Somehow, the other Jounin was able to sense their coming and at the last possible moment, she jumped onto the wall just as the two spinning projectiles flew by.

Kane eyed his adversary. She was standing on the wall, her excellent chakra control allowing her to stay there as if it was the ground instead. He had to admit it was rather disconcerting seeing the pink haired girl stick to the side of the hallway as if nothing was amiss. All of a sudden, the girl shuffled higher up the wall. In one punch she broke a hole into the ceiling and an instant later, she had climbed through. Kane swore again and quickly ran towards the hole. However as he approached, he could hear the sound of fighting. A mist ninja also appeared at the other end of the hallway, an urgent look upon his face. The commotion that they had caused in their fight had attracted attention. Kane smiled as he reached the breach in the ceiling.

"I'm going to catch you Sakura," he whispered to himself before jumping through.

Kane emerged into a large training hall. As he looked around, he located the leaf Jounin. She was in close combat with seven other mist ninja. By the looks of it, she had already knocked three unconscious. However, the rest were slowly overwhelming her.

Kane swiftly approached them, ready to enter the fray. But then, Sakura leapt up into the air. Her hands began flashing, forming a sequence of seals as she flew above them. Kane swore and quickly took out a kunai, preparing to throw it at the enemy shinobi. However, petals of cherry blossoms suddenly obscured his view. The mist Jounin's stomach turned as he looked around him. The training hall was no longer there. Instead, he found himself in a windswept snowy field with thousands of flower petals. He was trapped in a genjutsu, an illusionary technique.

Through the mass of pink, he could see the other mist ninjas running around, trying in vain to find the Leaf Jounin. Suddenly, they all stopped and started to cry out in panic. The wind had subsided a bit and Kane was able to make out what was happening. The other ninja were rooted to the ground and slowly turning into cherry trees. He looked hastily down at his own feet and discovered that they too had become wooden roots. Kane slowly felt his body stiffen as he began to transform.

The man steadied himself. This was an illusion, none of it is real. He moved to bring his hands together but found that they resisted him. Gritting his teeth, he put all his effort behind it. Kane began to feel his arms cracking like branches but he pressed on. He screamed out loud as he slowly, agonizingly brought his hands together. His palms finally slapped against each other and Kane took a deep breath. Gathering his chakra, he prepared to fight the illusion.

* * *

Sakura's brow furrowed in concentration, Kane was still fighting her genjutsu. Standing up, the girl moved out into the open. She slowly made her way across the snowy field, passing by numerous cherry trees as she walked. Pink petals fluttered around her before parting to allow her passage.

The kunoichi approached one particular tree which still had the semblances of a man. Kane's once handsome face was now a woody visage upon the trunk of the tree. His two arms had become twisted woody branches, entwined against each other.

Sakura stared at him, her eyes narrowing as she willed him to submit to her illusion. Kane's wooden face stared back, still resolutely defying her. Suddenly, it began to rain. Sakura looked around in bewilderment, the clouds had turned dark and it was raining on the snowy field. This was not part of her illusion. She turned back to Kane and found him smiling grimly as he tried to subvert her illusion.

"You can't turn my illusion against me," she told him. "You would have been better off if you had tried to escape it instead."

Kane's only response was to continue to stare at her. It began to rain down harder and Sakura felt water lapping at her feet. She looked down to find that she was standing ankle deep in water. Grimacing, the pink haired girl brought her hands together and refocused her mind on maintaining her illusion.

It was a lot easier to escape someone's illusion than to turn it against them. Either Kane was an idiot or just plane arrogant. Sakura suspected the latter. From what little she had experienced of him, he seemed to be the type to honestly believe that he could subvert another Jounin's genjutsu.

The rain began to falter and the last vestiges of Kane's face began to turn to wood. However, he continued to fight and the storm clouds gathered again, threatening to spill more rain. Clenching her teeth, Sakura redoubled her efforts and finally, Kane's face turned into wood and his resistance stopped.

The girl's arms dropped to her side in exhaustion. She was breathing heavily, that last struggle with Kane had taken a lot of her remaining energy. She hoped that she had enough strength to get to the ceiling and punch a hole through to get out. However, something felt amiss to her.

Suddenly, she sensed someone's presence right behind her. Sakura executed a spin kick aimed at whoever was there. Her attack suddenly came to a jarring halt as a hand caught her leg. Weary from her fight, her attack which should've smashed through the hand, was instead stopped. Looking past her leg, the girl saw the cold eyed stare of another mist ninja. A Jounin. With lightning speed, the man's other hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat. Releasing her ankle, the man lifted her above the floor. Sakura's hands flew to her neck, desperately trying to pry the cold hands open.

The mist Jounin smiled wickedly at her futile attempts. "A most impressive illusion," he complimented her. "If only you had paid attention to all those that were within it." Suddenly, a knee slammed into Sakura's exposed stomach and she instantly blacked out.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This is just fan work for other fans and not for profit in any way.

* * *

**Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist (Version 1.93)**

**Chapter 8**

Being a tree didn't sit well with Kane. The confinement, the lack of movement, it was driving him insane. He struggled against the illusion but to no avail.

Suddenly he felt a surge of chakra as somebody tapped him on the shoulder. He immediately found himself back in his own body and in the training hall. Kane staggered before he steadied himself. As he stood up, he was greeted by a pair of cold grey eyes. Taking a step back, he looked at the other man and returned the stare.

"What took you so long?" he demanded of Worabi. "I had to fight her genjutsu for ages."

"I wanted you to get stuck in her illusion," the other Jounin replied smugly. "Teach you a lesson for picking up random girls."

"Well you were at the bar as well and you couldn't tell who she was either." Kane stopped as his eyes located the girl. She was sprawled on the floor, unmoving. He quickly rushed towards her. "You didn't kill her did you?"

"You've got to be shitting me," Worabi swore. "After what happened, you still think you have a chance with her?"

"Not that you idiot," Kane reached the girl and crouched down. "If I do happen to have forgotten the seal sequence, then she's the only one who knows how to open the scroll."

"You forgot?"

"I said **if** I had forgotten." The mist ninja stood up and held up the scroll that he had taken from Sakura's back pocket.

"She managed to get the scroll?" Worabi looked at the other man incredulously.

"It doesn't matter now does it? We've got the scroll back and everything's fine," Kane replied. "How did you know that she was here anyway?"

"I found Kiara unconscious in an alleyway. Two pressure points on her neck were hit and her pockets were emptied."

The other man nodded. He glanced towards the entrance of the hall. A number of men had entered carrying stretchers. A few headed off to pick up the injured mist ninja while two of the men approached them.

"Master Worabi, master Kane. Where do you want us to take the prisoner?" one of them asked.

"Her attacks can demolish walls," Worabi informed the stretcher bearers, "I want you to find some place to strap her down securely so that she can't move."

"Yes sir," the two men grabbed the unconscious girl. They placed her on the stretcher and carried her away.

Kane hefted the scroll. "Let's go some place private so we can take a look at the plans."

Worabi nodded in agreement and the two Jounin walked off to find a secure room.

* * *

The trees whispered to each other as a cold breeze drifted through the park. Perched on a branch, Lee ignored the chill as he continued to wait. The park was near the outskirts of town and he and Sakura had agreed to rendezvous here. He was worried; his pink haired colleague should have turned up an hour ago. After changing back to his normal outfit, he had come to the park to wait for her but she still hasn't arrived. In addition, he had seen silhouettes, jumping from building to building during the night. The mist ninjas were about, and in numbers too. Something must have gone wrong. Lee knew Sakura was completely capable of taking care of herself yet she was terribly late. This was most unlike her.

A movement caught his eye. Four mist ninja had appeared on top of a building opposite him. Lee watched them closely; they seemed to be searching for someone. The silhouettes then jumped off the building and fanned out into the park. The leaf Jounin held himself closer to the tree, trying to avoid detection. Suddenly, a fifth ninja arrived. The squad of four converged upon the newcomer. Lee swiftly and silently jumped off the branch and crept closer to the mist ninjas. As he snuck behind a tree close by, he managed to hear their voices.

"…still at least one out there so we keep looking."

"Did they get a meeting point from the prisoner?"

"It's not their highest priority right now. So you just follow orders and keep looking, understood?"

"Yes sir," came a chorus of replies.

The fifth ninja then left.

Lee's heart began beating rapidly; Sakura had been caught. She had been taken prisoner. This wasn't good. He needed to do something. The four mist shinobi resumed searching the park, looking for an enemy ninja, looking for him. Lee quickly came to a decision. Taking a deep breath, Lee centred himself and melded back into the shadows.

* * *

The young genin muttered under his breath as he searched the park with his squad. For all they knew, the other leaf ninja could be long gone and their search was an exercise in futility. And even if they did find the enemy ninja, what can he alone do against an experienced enemy ninja? He can get himself killed, that's what. A chill suddenly went through the young ninja's body. Maybe he should stick close to the rest of his squad. Think of something else he told himself, think of something else.

Suddenly, an ear splitting scream rang out through the park. There was the sound of a kunai being drawn followed by more screaming. The screams then abruptly stopped.

"Leanne?" their chuunin sensei called out into the darkness. "You two stay here; I'm going to go check on her."

Their sensei drew his throwing knife and disappeared into the darkness. The trees were thick and the silver moonlight revealed very little. A deadly silence began to permeate through the air. Suddenly there was another scream, a man's voice this time. There was the sound of a blow landing and then a loud thud. A sickening crunching noise came from the darkness and one of trees in the park began to creak ominously. Suddenly, the ground quaked as it fell in a crash of twigs and branches.

The petrified genin looked to his last team member but he was already running away, screaming as he went. A dark form shot past him and the young ninja's heart froze in his chest. There was another frantic scream and then silence.

The boy's body shook in fear, causing his teeth to chatter. His rapid breaths misted in front of him in the cold night air. All of a sudden, a presence made itself felt behind him. He tried to utter a scream but a linen wrapped fist grabbed his neck and slammed him into a nearby tree. Thoughts of mummified bodies and the undead flashed through the genin's mind. Through the darkness, he saw a blood stained kunai being waved under his nose. A set of creepy round eyes materialized in front of him. He turned away in horror, his eyes tightly shut.

"Where is your hidden base?" a calm unsettling voice asked.

The petrified genin couldn't make his mouth move to answer. The sharp edge of the throwing knife suddenly made contact with his belly.

"If you don't tell me, this blade will do to you what it did to your teammates."

"DOWNTOWN, DOWNTOWN!" the boy blurted in fear. "THIRTY THREE MARKET STREET, LOWEST DOOR ON THE RIGHT."

There was a slight pause before the voice spoke again. "Is the door locked?" it asked.

"OUR SENSEI HAD A KEY."

"If you have lied to me…" the steady voice threatened.

"I SWEAR I'M TELLING THE TRUTH." The young genin was in hysterics. "PLEASE I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

"We shall see," and then a fist hit him in the stomach and all went black.

* * *

Sakura was awoken by the touch of someone's hand on her leg. She groggily opened her eyes a fraction. She found herself shackled tightly to a rack except for her right foot. Someone was holding her leg and undoing her boot. After the heeled boot was taken off, it was handed to someone else. The person's hands then slowly ran up her legs towards her thighs. Instinctively she lashed out and was rewarded with the sound of her foot connecting with someone's head. Looking down, she saw a mist ninja collapse against a wall. The kunoichi who was holding her boot dropped it and tried to grab her leg but had to step back as a second kick nearly floored her as well. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a door slamming open just before someone's hand landed on her chest. There was a build up of chakra in the hand and then electricity coursed through her body. Sakura screamed as her already exhausted muscles convulsed in pain. Her body arched as far as it could in the tight restraints. It felt like her chest was being jabbed with a thousand needles while her skin was being burnt in liquid fire.

The electricity stopped as abruptly as it had started. Sakura's body remained arched for a brief second before collapsing limply onto the table. Through the lingering haze of agony, the leaf Jounin felt someone grabbing her ankle. She made no move to resist as her stocking was removed and her leg was reshackled. Her entire body ached and parts of her were still racked by painful jolts.

"Have you searched her completely?" asked a voice she recognized as Kane's.

"Yes sir," someone replied. "We found these pieces of paper in her left boot."

"Take your friend to the infirmary and leave us," another voice commanded

"Yes master Worabi."

Recovering slightly, Sakura blinked her eyes clear before taking a weary look at her surroundings. She was in a small room with cement walls and a single steel door. There was an open cabinet with an assortment of torture instruments arrayed upon it. She herself was stretched tightly to a rack in the centre of the room.

The door creaked to a close as the kunoichi from before dragged her companion out of the room. There was a rustle of sheets as Kane looked through the papers found in her boot. The man turned to his companion.

"These are just the stuff that she took from Kiara."

Suddenly, a fist grabbed her hair and pulled her face up. Sakura winced from the pain. The eyes of the cold eyed mist Jounin stared maliciously at her.

"Where's the seal sequence that you stole?" Worabi asked menacingly.

Her eyes glanced to Kane who was standing at the back of the room. Suddenly, the situation became apparent to her and a cold laugh ensued from Sakura's lips. "He actually forgot the sequence?"

"I didn't forget," Kane replied. "The sequence they gave me must've been wrong."

"Then why are you asking me for it?" the captured girl asked. "After all, I stole it from you."

"Kane might think it's wrong but I'm more willing to suspect that he lost the information when you gave him that blow to the head." Worabi looked at her with a sadistic grin, "you're going to tell us what we want to know or else we'll be forced to cause you a whole world of pain."

Sakura returned his stare. Drawing back a bit, she let loose and spat at him. Worabi recoiled as her spittle hit him below his eye. He released her hair and backhanded her across the face. The mist ninja stepped back and began performing hand seals. A large blast of ice cold water suddenly hit Sakura. She tried to resist the chill as the cold water soaked her clean through. The deluge continued, splashing water everywhere. Sakura managed to take quick short breaths through her nose without inhaling any water. Just as her chest began to get numb from the cold, the water stopped. Shivering, she heard the sounds of another ninjutsu being performed.

The slight crackle of static was her only warning before a surge of electricity slammed into her body. Aided by the conduction of the water, the current blasted into her every nerve. Sakura's water soaked body convulsed in pain, her mouth open in a silent scream.

Worabi maintained the technique, seemingly drawing sadistic pleasure from her pain. The girl struggled desperately against her restraints, her lithe body pulling against the shackles that held her. However, she was stretched too tight and all she could do was writhe under the torture.

After what seemed an eternity, the electricity finally stopped. The ninja girl collapsed, utterly spent.

"Tell us where you hid that piece of paper."

Sakura began to laugh hysterically. "I destroyed it," she told the mist ninja.

"Then what was the sequence of hand seals that was written on it?!" he shouted at her.

She continued to laugh, trying valiantly to show that she was unaffected by her ordeal. "I never looked inside. I guess now, you'll never open that scroll." Sakura's laugh became an agonized scream as Worabi blasted her again with electricity. Her cries of pain echoed within the room as the mist ninja continued to torture the girl.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This is just fan work for other fans and not for profit in any way.

* * *

**Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist (Version 1.93)**

**Chapter 9**

The buildings blurred past Lee as he sped through the streets of the town. Sakura was in trouble and he was her only back up. After the intelligence had been gathered on Kane, the Hokage had sent Sakura and himself to accomplish this mission. Just the two of them. Now, something had gone awry and Sakura was taken prisoner. He needed to go and get her out, no matter the cost. She is a person dear to him and he will do everything in his power to protect her.

Suddenly, he sensed movement. He quickly jumped into an alleyway and hid from plain sight. Four figures ran past him, seemingly intent on their destination. Another squad of mist ninja, he was getting close now.

Lee looked down at his red splattered bandages. The blood was from the nosebleeds that he had given to the ones he knocked unconscious. The display had been enough to scare the young genin into giving him the information that he needed. Now all he had to do was get to the base and get Sakura out. He hoped he wasn't too late.

* * *

Blue arcs of electricity coursed through Sakura's body, causing her to convulse in sheer agony. The girl's pain filled screams echoed around the room whilst Kane watched. Rubbing his brow, the mist ninja decided that he had seen enough.

"Stop," he told Worabi.

The grey eyed Jounin ignored him.

Kane stepped forward and grabbed his arm. "I SAID STOP!"

The other man grabbed Kane by his collar and shoved him back. With the ninjutsu interrupted, the electricity stopped but Sakura continued to writhe, her cries dying down to pained sobs.

"You don't tell me what to do," Worabi snarled as he stepped closer to his colleague. "And I've had quite enough of your shit for today."

Kane stared right back. "At the rate you were going, you were about to kill her."

"She'll give us what we need before then."

"No she won't. She's prepared to die with that information."

Worabi glanced over at Sakura's still shaking form. "I think I can make her change her mind."

Kane walked over to the girl. "What's the sequence?"

Sakura's slightly unfocused eyes glared at him. "Fuck you."

The man turned to give his colleague a knowing look before silently walking over to the exit and pushing the door open and holding it there. Worabi glanced one once last glance at the girl before reluctantly leaving the room. Kane followed him out before closing the door behind him and turning to face the other Jounin.

"Her teammates will come for her, I'm sure of that," he told Worabi. "That guy disguised as her boyfriend from the bar, he looked a lot like Rock Lee."

"Isn't he the Konoha ninja that can't even use ninjutsu or genjutsu?"

"He's still one of the Konoha Eleven, and I'm sure he'll try to come save her."

Worabi snorted, "He's only one. What can he possibly do?"

"She was only one," Kane replied indicating to Sakura through the door. "Yet she managed to infiltrate the base and wreck the place before we managed to stop her."

"She was disguised and you were still recovering," Worabi replied. "You're talking about someone who can't use ninjutsu, can't disguise himself nor use a powerful genjutsu like she did."

"If that's the case, then you should have no problems in catching him."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because," Kane explained, "we'll be able to use him as leverage against her."

"I told you that I can get it out of her," Worabi insisted.

"I don't think her demeanour has changed." The mist Jounin replied through gritted teeth. "Look, you've tried it your way and it wasn't successful. Try it my way. I'll talk to her and when you catch Lee, we'll bring him in and threaten to kill him in front of her. See if she yields then."

"You know if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be in this fucking mess in the first place."

Kane gave his fellow mist ninja an exasperated look. "Lets just try and fix this alright?"

Worabi sighed and nodded before turning around and heading off. After his colleague had left, the dark haired Jounin re-entered the room and walked over to where Sakura was secured to the rack.

"You know this would all go a lot easier if you just cooperated," he told her.

The girl stared straight up at the ceiling, not bothering to respond to his comment. Kane made his way to the top of the rack and leaned over. Placing his hands on the sides of Sakura's head, he gazed down at her face. The girl focused her stare upon the mist Jounin, her emerald eyes blazing with hatred.

Kane gently stroked her hair. "Just tell us the sequence and we will let you go, I promise."

Sakura snorted at his comment. "Yeah right," she replied in a slightly cracked voice.

"I promise you," he assured her. "You have my word."

"Your word is worthless," she spat back at him.

"Look," he told her. "You tell us the sequence. Then I'll let you go and your friend Rock Lee can find you and take you home. However, if you continue to resist, your friend Lee will get caught and we'll be forced to kill him in order to convince you to give us what we want. Now, you don't want that to happen do you?"

"He won't risk his life on the off chance that he might save mine," Sakura replied. "And if he did, he's an idiot and deserves to die."

Kane laughed at her attempted bravado. "I know you Konoha ninjas are a very close knit group." The mist Jounin walked around the rack, placing a hand on Sakura's arm as he did so. As he ran his fingers down the length of the girl's wet body, he shook his head. "Worabi will do more excruciating things to you if you don't yield your information. And I'm not just talking about physical torture either."

"Do your worst," Sakura replied defiantly.

"You've got fight, I'll give you that," Kane complimented her. "I don't really care. By the end of the day, you're going to tell us what we need to know. The question is how much unpleasantness you want to go through before that happens."

Moving to the side of the room, the Jounin opened a tap to one of the many water pipes that ran through the building. From the ceiling of the room, drops of water began falling on the girl's forehead. She tried to shift out of the way but Kane grabbed a neck brace and secured it on her. Unable to move, the leaf kunoichi closed her eyes to shield them from the splashing droplets.

Kane stood and looked down at the prisoner. "I suggest you think on it." Turning, he left the room, leaving Sakura alone, with nothing but the tormenting drip of the water to keep her company.

* * *

The sound of his footsteps echoed throughout the stairwell as Lee descended into the building. As he walked, he came to a decision on his course of action. The entrances to the lower levels were most likely guarded. Well, it didn't matter. He would defeat all who stood in his way. There were no other methods of approach anyway. He wasn't going to get in disguised. Even Sakura's skills in espionage had not been enough. He doubted that he, someone unable to perform an imitation technique, was going to succeed where she had failed. No, he was going to storm his way in and rescue his teammate before they even knew what hit them. No one would expect a full frontal assault so that's what he was going to go with. With his speed and the element of surprise on his side, his plan should do the job.

Lee came to the bottom of the steel staircase and found himself at the end of a long corridor. At the other end, there appeared to be some sort of foyer where a sentry sat behind a desk. Relaxing his muscles, the leaf Jounin calmly proceeded into the enemy base.

* * *

The sentry was sitting idly behind the desk when he was alerted by the sound of someone approaching. He looked up and frowned. A green clad figure was walking along the grey walled corridor towards him. The person moved with an aura of confidence, as if nothing in the world could perturb him. As he came closer, the sentry could see that he was dressed in a green spandex suit and a matching army jacket. A layer of white bandages were wrapped around his arms which were at the moment, swinging loosely beside him. The green clad man did not resemble any mist ninja that the sentry recognised. However, if he wasn't a mist ninja, why did he so brazenly walk into their heavily guarded base? The sentry decided not to take any chances. Reaching over, he placed his hand over the alarm button before calling out to the green clothed man.

"Halt! Identify yourself."

The man continued walking. "I am the interrogator," he replied. "Someone called me in to obtain information from a prisoner."

"I wasn't notified," the sentry responded. "Stop where you are while I check with my superiors."

The other ninja continued to approach. "You should go ahead and press that alarm. Maybe then, someone will come to show me the way to the prison cells instead of asking stupid questions."

The sentry stared at the man and frowned. "Guards," he called out. Two mist ninja quickly appeared at the doorway behind him. "This man claims to be an interrogator that has been called in. Watch him while I go confirm with the masters."

"Yeah sure," one of the guards replied as he and his companion walked past the desk and approached the green clad ninja.

Turning, the sentry moved towards the door and was about to walk through when there was a sickening thud. An instant later, a heavy mass hit him in the back and carried him to the floor. Dazed, the sentry crawled out from under the object and shakily got up. As his vision began to clear, he heard a loud crash. Looking up, his eyes widened at the sight that greeted him. The green clad ninja was pinning one of the guards to the wall with his foot. The guard was slumped and unconscious. Glancing down, the sentry realised that the mass that had hit him was the other guard.

An arm suddenly slammed into his chest and rammed him against the wall. The crushing pressure caused the sentry's eyes to water. Through his blurred vision, he looked up into the round eyes of his assailant

"Where is the prisoner being held?" the other man asked him.

When he didn't answer, the green clad ninja increased the pressure to his chest. The sentry gritted his teeth and groaned through the pain. Suddenly, the cold rasp of an unsheathed knife reached his ears. He swallowed as the other man waved a blood stained kunai in front of his eyes.

"I was not lying about being an interrogator," his assailant informed him. Beads of sweat ran down the sentry's brow as the tip of the blade began digging into the corner of his eye.

"ARRGGHHH, STOP, STOP!" he screamed as flaring pain lanced through his left eye. The pain eased slightly.

Intense, round eyes glared at him. "This is the last time I'm going to ask. Where is the prisoner being held?"

"Three levels down," the sentry hurriedly told the other man. "The only entrance is the staircase at the south-east end of the building."

"I can tell that you are lying," the man's cold voice informed him. The pain in his eye suddenly flared again and he screamed.

"NO, NO," the sentry screamed in agony and desperation. "I SWEAR IT'S THE TRUTH, I SWEAR!"

The pain stopped. "Ok, I believe you," the ninja replied. As the words left the man's mouth, a hard fist suddenly slammed into the sentry's stomach and he blacked out.

* * *

Cold rivulets of water ran down Sakura's cheeks as the water drip continued to run. The Konoha Jounin shivered; her clothes were still damp from the soaking she received at the start of her interrogation. That had seemed like such a long time ago. Sakura wasn't sure how many hours had passed since she was captured. It seemed to her like days but she knew that it was most likely only a few hours. Torture usually lengthened a person's perception of time.

Sakura clenched her teeth. She will not let her misery overwhelm her. She will not succumb to despair. Her pain and discomfort were just signals in her brain, nothing more. No matter what these bastards do to her, she will not give in. The Konoha Jounin took a deep breath and concentrated on ignoring the cold. They will never get the seal sequence from her. Not even if they caught Lee and.. and...

_An image of a bruised and battered Lee appeared in front of her. A knife was poised over her friend's throat and Worabi began shouting questions at her. Lee looked to her and gave her a sad smile, his dark eyes apologising to her. Suddenly, blood gushed from his mouth and throat, the red liquid spraying onto Sakura's face._

Sakura screamed and tried to dispel the mental image. She could feel his blood on her face, running into her mouth. The captured kunoichi desperately tried to shake her head, trying to get the liquid off her face. "NO NO NOOO," she cried to the empty room as liquid continued to run down her face. Breathing heavily, Sakura willed herself to calm down. Get a grip. **Get a grip. GET A GRIP! **He's still alive, he's not dead, it's just water on your face."

Slowly, the leaf Jounin's heart rate slowed down and her breathing relaxed. Lee won't be caught because he would have left already. He would need to head back and report that the mission had failed. Sakura silently hoped that he had, she didn't think she could face the prospect of watching a friend being executed in front of her. Another drop of liquid ran down Sakura's cheek. This drop had came from her eye.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This is just fan work for other fans and not for profit in any way.

* * *

**Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist (Version 1.93)**

**Chapter 10**

The hollow chime of the clock rung out across the room as it struck 2 am. Kane sat at a table on the floor above the prison level. On the table before him lay the unfurled scroll, its surface covered with randomly inked symbols. The mist ninja stared intently at the piece of paper. Raising his hands, the man began forming hand seals. _Monkey, ox, snake, ox, dragon, monkey, hare, tiger, dragon._ Kane slapped his palms against the open scroll. The ink on the scroll began to move, rearranging itself into different configurations. It moved faster and faster before finally stopping and settling into another random pattern. The ninja stared at the scroll and he's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. In frustration, he slammed both his fists against the wooden table.

"I assume you still can't remember it," a slightly amused voice wafted over from the doorway.

Turning, Kane saw Worabi standing on his left.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the other ninja as he gathered up the scroll. He tucked the item into his pocket, putting the source of his failure and frustrations out of sight.

"I was going to go and interrogate the prisoner some more," Worabi responded in a nonchalant tone.

"You were supposed to be keeping an eye out for Lee and setting a trap for him." Kane inwardly swore; he knew the other Jounin wouldn't take the task seriously.

"He's not going to come," his fellow ninja replied as he approached the door at the other end of the room. "Our time is better spent forcing the answer out of the girl as opposed to setting a trap for someone who isn't even going to show."

Kane tried to curb his annoyance at the other ninja. The other man was making his way to the staircase that led to the prisons. Kane was about to comment on Worabi's excessive enjoyment of the interrogation when the sound of running footsteps reached his ears. Turning, he watched as a mist genin ran into the room.

"M-Master Worabi, Master Kane," the young man uttered. "My captain sent me here to give you an urgent message."

The two Jounin looked at the genin and watched as he caught his breath. When the boy looked at them expectantly, Worabi lost his patience.

"Well don't stand there like an idiot, tell us your fucking message already."

"Y-Yes Master," the genin replied shakily. "My captain; she told me to tell you that someone is on a rampage through the complex. The guards have been unable to stop whoever it is and already many ninja have fallen."

Kane looked to his fellow Jounin. "He's not going to come eh?"

"We don't know that it's her teammate coming to rescue her," Worabi replied.

"Someone storms into our base right after we capture a Leaf ninja and you're telling me this is a coincidence."

"Well if you're right and it is someone coming to rescue her, then we'll cut them off at the entrance to the prison. There is only one way in there and he'll have to go through that staricase to get to her."

"No," Kane objected. "We'll wait for him to enter the prison first and then trap him in there."

Worabi looked towards his colleague, dissatisfaction on his face. "We can't let him free her. She migh–"

A thud from the ceiling stopped him midsentence. The mist ninjas looked up as the sounds of battle reached them from the level above. Suddenly a series of loud bangs came from the direction of the staircase. This was quickly followed by a loud crash. The closed door concealed what had happened behind it but a cloud of dust puffed out from the gap underneath.

Kane and Worabi swiftly moved to either side of the door. From behind it, they could hear the faint sound of someone rushing down the stairs into the bowels of the complex. Kane reached for the doorknob and nodded to Worabi. In one swift move, he pulled the door open for his teammate. The mist Jounin quickly rushed through while Kane swiftly followed. A chaotic sight greeted them. Three mist ninjas were sprawled across the cracked cement floor. Others lay across the railings and on the stairs, all of them unconscious. Dust, debris and discarded weapons littered the area.

The two mist Jounin looked at each other. Knowing what they had to do, the pair proceeded down the staircase and into the prison area.

* * *

Sakura couldn't recall when she had nodded off but a sudden noise had caught her ears and awoken her. The pink haired ninja thought she heard a door slamming. The sound of approaching footsteps suddenly reached her and Sakura gritted her teeth. She will not let them break her. Closing her eyes, the Konoha Jounin prepared herself as the wooden door swung open.

"You'll never break me," she spoke out loud to the room. "No matter what you do, I won't tell you anything."

Sakura prepared herself; she was ready to endure whatever was coming next. However, instead of surging pain, she felt a clicking at her wrists. Confused, the kunoichi opened her eyes. The drops of water had stopped falling onto her forehead. Hands suddenly undid the brace on her neck; hands that were wrapped in bandages. Realising that her wrist shackles had been undone, Sakura propped herself up. Her cramped muscles screamed in protest but she gritted her teeth and ignored the pain. Looking around, she saw a green clad man unlocking the shackles to her feet.

"Lee!" she exclaimed as her teammate and friend finished unlocking the fetters.

The other ninja turned and hurried to her side. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to get here earlier Sakura-chan," he apologised with a strained look on his face. "It's going to be ok now; I'll get you out of here."

The pink haired kunoichi wrapped her arms around her friend in a tight hug. For a moment, Sakura let go of her fears. She pressed her head against Lee's shoulder; relishing in the warm comfort of a friend's embrace. The young man slowly slid his arms under her and carefully picked her up.

"You shouldn't have risked yourself," she whispered to him as he carried her out of the room. "I would never forgive myself if I caused your death."

Lee looked at her and gave her one of his smiles. "When we first met, I promised that I will always protect you. So do not worry, I will get us out of here." Sakura looked at her friend's confident face and gave him a small smile. Lee nodded to her and proceeded towards the exit.

As he walked, the sound of splashing water reached her ears. Looking down, Sakura noticed the ground had become slightly flooded under a layer of water.

"Lee stop," she told her teammate. "Someone's opened the water pipes on this level."

"It would appear so," Lee replied as he looked around at the floor. "It would seem that someone is preparing to stop us."

Sakura briefly told him about the two Jounins that she had faced and their respective abilities. Lee absorbed the information and nodded to himself.

"Let me stand," she told him. "I should be able to punch a hole in the roof."

"That won't work," her friend replied. "The distance between this level and the one above is substantial. Any attempt at smashing our way up through the prison will cause a cave in."

"Shit," Sakura swore. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Yes I do," her teammate replied as he resumed walking. "I'll face them and defeat them."

"They're prepared for us," Sakura protested as she looked at her friend's determined expression. "It's too risky."

Lee ignored her and continued to make his way towards the exit. It was then that Sakura realised that her friend had seemed awfully tense. It was very unusual of him. Could it be possible that Lee-san was angry?

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

When Lee didn't respond, the pink haired girl frowned. Placing her hands on either side of his face, she forced him to look at her.

"What's going on Lee?" she asked again.

Dark eyes met green for a fleeting second before the man lowered his eyes; avoiding the gaze of his teammate.

"I am sorry Sakura-chan," Lee apologised. "I should have gotten here faster. I was not able to protect you as I pro–"

His words abruptly halted as Sakura gently kissed him. Her eyes closed, Sakura allowed herself to savour the soft contact that was being shared between them. After what seemed like an eternity, she slowly withdrew from Lee. As the last lingering touch left her lips, Sakura turned her gaze towards Lee's surprised eyes.

"I had hoped that you would've left," she whispered to him. "I was worried that if you hadn't, they would have caught you and then used you against me. I was so afraid that they were going to force me to choose between your life and giving them what they wanted. But do you know what?"

Lee slightly furrowed his brows and looked questioningly at his companion.

Sakura smiled. "When you did come, all my fears and doubts melted away. I was simply overjoyed that you were here. It meant the world to me that you were by my side." The pink haired shinobi gently placed her forehead against her friend's. "Now let's go home together."

Surprised, Lee gazed into her green eyes as she gave him a reassuring smile. He hesitantly returned her gesture as he whispered a reply. "Yes, let's go home."

* * *

Water rippled around his ankles as Kane idly shifted his feet. The mist Jounin glanced towards the wall and the pipe with the open tap. The sound of splashing liquid echoed around the large room as water gushed from the opening. They were in the large foyer of the prison cells level; the room which contained the only exit to the rest of the facility. The area was supported by a number of concrete pillars and interspersed amongst them were a couple of wooden desks. A few lamps hung from the walls, their light reflecting off the water, bathing everything in wavy patterns of illumination.

Kane looked over to his companion. Worabi had propped himself onto a table and was impatiently tapping his hand upon a nearby pillar. Sighing, Kane returned his focus towards the doorway at the end of the room. This was the only exit out of the prisons; Rock Lee **has **to go through this room if he wanted to get out.

The soft whispers of splashing footsteps suddenly permeated the room. Worabi immediately got off his table and stood to attention. The two mist Jounin turned to face the open doorway as the sound slowly but steadily grew louder. Ripples suddenly began emanating from the doorway as a silhouette stepped from its shadows. Light glinted off the Konoha insignia on the man's belt as he strode through the water. His face was expressionless but his dark round eyes were pools of deepest determination. The water seemed to part around him as he moved, almost as if he was emanating an invisible force.

Kane stared at the man that could only be Rock Lee. For someone that could not perform ninjutsu or genjutsu, the Konoha Jounin possessed an aura of power that unsettled him. Lee stopped about twenty metres away from them, his bandage wrapped hands hanging idly by his side. The man made no move aside from staring intently at his two adversaries.

"About bloody time you came out," Worabi snarled at the green clad man. "I was beginning to think that you were going to chicken out."

Lee made no reply to the comments and just continued to stare.

"What's the matter? Scared speechless?"

"Don't underestimate him." Kane warned his teammate. The way this guy moved, the look in his eyes, it was all wrong. There was something about this man that didn't add up and his colleague seemed oblivious to it.

"He can only use taijutsu," Worabi replied dismissively. The mist Jounin smirked as he gazed at Lee. "From what I've seen, I admit that he must be fast but he's trapped now and no amount of speed will allow him to escape."

Lee's only response was to slowly reach down to his knees and pull up his orange leg warmers. Kane's eyes widened as he saw sets of weights strapped to the leaf Jounin's legs. This man had rampaged through the entire base whilst wearing a set of weights!

"Quick, before he gets those off!" Kane yelled to his teammate as he began performing hand seals. However, Lee moved faster than either of the mist ninjas. Releasing the catch that held the weights to his legs, the Konoha Jounin kicked towards Worabi. The weight that was attached to his right leg flew towards the man. The mist Jounin ducked just as the weight passed over his head; the projectile slashed into the pillar behind him, sending cement and dust spraying across the room.

"Water technique, snake's mouth!" Kane shouted as he completed his last hand seal. A snake shaped torrent of water rose up from the floor and surged towards Lee. The leaf Jounin kicked his other weight towards Kane. The heavy object slammed into the snake head and sliced easily through the liquid. Seeing his water blast cut through by the incoming projectile, Kane threw himself out of its path. He realises too late that he's wasn't fast enough. In desperation, he unleashes a surge of chakra from his body just as the projectile glances off his right shoulder. The force of the blow knocks him against the wall.

Momentarily stunned, Kane's vision refocuses just in time to see Worabi blast an electric attack into the water. The blue energy shot through the liquid towards Lee but the Konoha ninja moved with amazing speed. He was behind Worabi in an instant, a trail of splashed footsteps the only indication that he had moved. The mist Jounin did well to react and block Lee's first kick. However, the Konoha ninja immediately followed up with a barrage of punches. Worabi managed to evade the first few, but Lee's relentless attacks soon overwhelmed him.

Detaching himself from the wall, Kane began another sequence of hand seals. Suddenly, he felt a hand in his pocket. Turning, he glimpsed a flash of pink hair just before a fist nearly took off his head. At the last moment, he managed to lean back and avoid the blow. Taken off guard, Kane knew he had to move quickly. Kicking off with his feet, he executed a back flip in order to distance himself from his assailant. As Kane landed in a splash, he looked up to see a familiar pink haired Jounin in front of him. It was Sakura and she had a scroll in her hands. Kane's hands flew to his pocket but found it empty.

"Fuck," he swore under his breath. Smirking at him, Sakura tucked the scroll away in one of her pockets. Out of the corner of his eye, Kane saw Worabi slam against a wall as Lee finished unleashing a combination attack on him. Knowing he had to act fast, the mist Jounin ducked behind a column.

Kane's thoughts ran through his head, 'I need to stop Worabi from getting killed or this fight will soon be over.'

Quickly forming some water clones, he sent them towards Sakura without bothering to observe their fate. Charging towards Lee, Kane's hands flashed as he again performed his snake's mouth technique. A serpentine body of water emerged from the flooded floor and surged towards the Konaha Jounin. Sensing something amiss, Lee halted his attack on Worabi and performed a spinning back kick.

"Konoha Whirlwind!" he shouted as his attack slammed into the head of Kane's technique. The force of the kick sent water spraying everywhere. Gritting his teeth, Kane forced his technique onwards and though blunted, the remaining torrent of water slammed into the other ninja. Lee managed to bring his hands up to protect his face but the force of the water still picked him up and smashed him against the wall.

For a moment, it seemed that the other ninja would be trapped under the high pressure blast. However, an instant later, the green clad ninja rolled out from under the deluge and leapt towards Kane. Responding quickly, the mist Jounin summoned a water wall in front of him. Lee ignored it and attacked regardless. The wall of water shattered as the Konoha Jounin unleashed a ferocious combination attack upon it. However, the delay bought Kane the time to pull out two kunais. Knives in hand, he charged at Lee. The other man easily blocked his attacks and was about to retaliate when a flash of blue made him pause.

Kane smiled as Worabi made his move, his lightning charged palms shooting towards Lee. However, the green clad ninja was unbelievably fast. Not only did he manage to evade Worabi's fists but a second later he leapt up and unleashed a furious spinning kick.

"KONAHA GREATER WHIRLWIND!"

Both Kane and Worabi were forced to jump back to avoid being hit by Lee's attack.

A fist suddenly slammed into Kane's shoulder and all of a sudden, he felt himself flying. The mist Jounin swore at himself for thinking that a few water clones could keep Sakura occupied. Landing heavily, Kane slid along in a spray of water before coming to an eventual halt. He quickly picked his water soaked body off the ground and staggered upright. Sakura was advancing towards him whilst Lee had gone back to fighting Worabi. Though he had used a chakra surge to soften Sakura's punch, Kane knew that his left arm was no longer combat effective.

'Well at least I can still use it for hand seals,' he thought to himself. Resiliently ignoring the pain, he brought his arms up to form a hand seal. "Shadow clone technique," he called out as three replicas of himself appeared in puffs of white smoke. He immediately sent two towards Lee while he and the other charged Sakura.

The pink haired kunoichi shouted a warning to her companion but she was forced to contend with Kane and his shadow clone. Lee seemed to realise however and he paused to kick out at one of the clones, hitting it square in the chest. It disappeared in a puff of smoke but the green clad ninja seemed to have missed the second clone. Realization suddenly dawned on Lee that something was amiss just as the second clone snuck up and enveloped him in a water prison technique.

"LEEEEE," Sakura shouted as she struggled to fend off her opponents.

Kane smiled; now they had the upper hand.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This is just fan work for other fans and not for profit in any way.

* * *

**Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist (Version 1.93)**

**Chapter 11**

Cold water immersed his body and Lee found himself trapped. Turning to look behind him, he saw Kane's clone with its hand on the water sphere. He was now trapped in the ninjutsu technique. Lee reprimanded himself for not noticing the second clone. He kicked out at the clone but he was suspended in the centre of the sphere and could not reach the boundary of the water prison. Lee knew that he couldn't get out using his taijutsu but he had to try. In the distance, he could see Sakura-chan fighting Kane and one of his other clones.

He needed to get out, he needed to help her. But there was only one way he was going to get out of the water prison by himself. Lee hesitated; he was reluctant to open the inner gates as it would render him exhausted afterwards. A blue light suddenly caught his attention just before a blast of electricity surged through his body. Fiery pain shot through his body and Lee convulsed in agony. Resolutely resisting the pain, he forced himself to turn his head. Through the distorted view of the sphere, he glimpsed Worabi sending electricity into the water prison. Lee struggled with the searing shocks; he was finding it difficult to continue holding his breath.

All of a sudden, the entire room shuddered and the very ground shook. A wave of water blasted into them and the shadow clone suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke. The force of the water was so strong that it knocked Worabi off balance and his lightning attack stopped. Glancing over to the source of the disturbance, Lee saw that Sakura-chan had power slammed her foot into the ground.

With the clone gone, the water prison began to collapse, the liquid surrounding Lee sleuthing off him. However, Worabi had recovered from the blast and was already charging electricity into his hands. The mist Jounin attacked Lee just as the last of the water fell away. Too late to dodge, the green clad ninja stepped towards his enemy and gripped him in a bear hug. Again, surging pain shot through his body but Lee held on tight. His opponent grimaced at the crushing pressure and desperately increased the electric power. Bravely enduring the pain, Lee stared into Worabi's cold grey eyes.

"This is for what you did to Sakura-chan."

Lee picked Worabi up and leapt at a nearby pillar. At the last possible moment, Lee brought his feet up and kicked off the solid concrete support. Opening the first of his inner gates, Lee flung Worabi headfirst into a second pillar.

"FRONT LOTUS!"

* * *

The blast sent dust flooding across the room. Sakura watched on as Lee unleashed his attack; slamming Worabi headfirst through three concurrent pillars. Rubble rained everywhere and the entire building shuddered. Breaking her gaze away from her teammate, Sakura refocused her attention towards Kane. With his left arm hanging limply by his side, the mist Jounin returned her stare. Kane looked fatigued and Sakura wasn't surprised seeing as he just lost his last two shadow clones. She herself was exhausted and her chakra reserves were low. The pink haired kunoichi felt she was at the limits of her stamina. If she and Lee were to get out of this, they needed to finish the fight before mist reinforcements arrived.

Taking decisive action, Sakura suddenly charged towards her opponent. A kunai quickly materialized into Kane's hand and he swiped at the Konoha Jounin. Ducking under the attack, Sakura punched out at her opponent but Kane leapt back out of her reach. Not giving up, the pink haired Kunoichi persisted with her attack. Even though Kane had a weapon, he couldn't use his left arm and was forced to give ground. Sakura's legs lashed out, kicking at her opponent. Kane leapt back from the attack; his chin evading the kick by mere millimetres.

Sakura momentarily halted her assault and took a few deep breaths. Keeping her eyes on the enemy ninja, she cautiously inched towards him. Kane kept his distance, slowly backing off as she approached. He slowly raised his injured left arm, seemingly intent on using more ninjutsu.

Sakura glanced towards Lee. He was rolling out of the rubble that had once been a concrete column. Her teammate seemed wracked with pains and he was moving with agonizing slowness. Nearby, atop of some scattered debris sprawled Worabi's unmoving body.

Kane's hands suddenly moved but Sakura immediately responded. Stepping to her side, she power kicked one of the last pillars. Chunks of mortar flew towards her opponent and he was forced to dive out of the way.

"LEE, WE NEED TO GO!" Sakura shouted as the ceiling shuddered. The pillar she had just knocked out was the last remaining concrete support on Kane's side of the room. With its destruction, the room began to collapse. Lee had gotten up and was hobbling towards her but Kane was moving as well. However, the ceiling on the mist Jounin's side collapsed faster and he had to contend with falling rubble. Sakura rushed towards her friend and wrapped her arm around him. Together they made for the exit as the entire room began to disintegrate. Suddenly, a hand caught her foot and Sakura stumbled to a halt. She looked down to see Kane's hand wrapped around her left ankle. The mist ninja was collapsed on the ground; a large piece of concrete had trapped his legs.

"I'm not letting you get away," he shouted at her through gritted teeth. There was a flash of metal and Kane suddenly yelled in pain. A kunai had embedded itself in his wrist and Sakura's ankle was released. She pulled her leg out of reach and looked at her teammate.

"You said we will go home together." Lee said to her as a smile appeared across his face, "Lets see that through."

Sakura returned the smile and together, the two hobbled towards the exit. Falling debris pelted them but they continued onwards. As an entire section of the ceiling began to collapse, they leapt for the doorway. The two Konoha Jounin skidded through, just as the room caved in behind them. Dust sprayed across the staircase landing, covering the pair in a grey haze. Panting from the exertion, Lee propped himself up on his elbows. Under the surrounding gloom, he watched on as the doorway behind them became completely buried.

"That was one crazy move you made back there," he told his friend. Upon hearing his remark, Sakura pulled her head back and just laughed.


	12. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. This is just fan work for other fans and not for profit in any way.

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**Chronicle One: Shinobi in the Mist**

**Chapter 12**

The streets were deathly silent in the twilight hours of the morning. Under the starry sky, two figures quietly negotiated the paved roads of the harbour town. Lee sighed as he continued to trudge along the dim streets. They didn't want to attract any attention with their attire so he had donned a black dress robe. He had stashed away the garment earlier for the express purpose of having some civilian clothing at hand. Sakura however, had used ninjutsu and was now disguised in a flowing blue dress. Her head was currently leaning against Lee's shoulder, her eyes peacefully closed. He had his arm wrapped around her waist, guiding along her tired footsteps.

As they walked, his thoughts gravitated towards her. She was his colleague, his teammate, his precious friend. Glancing down, his gaze brushed over the contours of her angelic face, tracing her sensual mouth, her perfect nose and her serene eyes. Her heavenly scent wafted around him, filling him whenever he breathed. As the soft moonlight illuminated her face, Lee couldn't help but admire how stunningly beautiful she was. Beauty, strength, intelligence, Sakura was all that and more. Right now she was exhausted, barely conscious. They hadn't wanted to chance on any encounters so to escape the base, Sakura had just used her strength to smash through three levels of ceiling to the surface. That last bit had drained what little energy she had left. Lee's arm tightened protectively around her; she trusted him to guide her home and he will not fail her.

Sounds of revelry suddenly reached him and he knew that they were nearing the docks. It seemed the harbour-side taverns were open all night. The docks and piers were lit by lamps, both from the street and from the various ships anchored there. Lee searched the forest of masts, looking for a specific vessel. Once he located it, he slowly and carefully guided his companion towards the ship.

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Sakura woke to the sound of breaking waves and soft gentle swaying. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes to find herself lying on a large comfortable bed. She was in was a small and cosy room with elegant wooden panelling. The pink haired shinobi frowned and sat up. No, that wasn't panelling, it was the hull of a ship. She suddenly recognized her surroundings as the suite of the yacht that she and Lee had chartered to Fukaku town. They must have set sail and were heading back towards Konaha.

But where was Lee?

She noticed the place beside her had been recently vacated, someone had slept their during the night. With a smile, Sakura noticed that a large robe had been left for her. Grabbing the garment, she wrapped herself within the soft comfortable fabric and exited the room.

A fresh gust of cool morning air greeted her as she walked onto the deck. The bright rays of the sun shone down from high in the air; she had been asleep quite awhile. The smell of salt and brine was heavy in the air as the ship cut through the bright blue waters, sending up intermittent sprays of sea.

"Ma'am," a respectful voice spoke from behind her. "I trust you slept well."

Sakura turned to see the Captain of the ship greeting her from his position at the helm. "I slept wonderfully Captain," she replied. "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

"No thanks necessary ma'am," the man replied with a warm smile. "We do whatever we can to please our customers. A few more hours and we should be within sight of the Fire Country."

"That sounds great," Sakura replied.

Noticing Lee sitting at the bow of the ship, she wished the Captain a good morning and made her way over to her companion. He was dressed in a black dress robe, his legs crossed as he sat at the bow, looking forward across the great blue expanse.

Sakura sat down beside him and followed his gaze. Lee was staring into the distance towards their destination.

"Sakura-chan," he spoke as he noticed her presence beside him.

"The Captain said we'll be in the Fire Country within a few hours."

"That is good," the dark haired young man replied. However, Sakura noticed a troubled expression on his face. Was he still concerning himself with the events of last night?

"About my failures yesterday," he began.

Sakura ruefully shook her head and interrupted him with a kiss on his cheek. "You didn't fail," she replied. She turned Lee's face as so to look into his eyes. When his gaze met hers, she gave him a reassuring smile. Trust him to fault himself for what everyone else would see as a remarkable display of courage and bravery. He had singlehandedly assaulted an enemy stronghold to save a teammate and he was worried that he hadn't been fast enough.

"The mission was a success," she reminded him. "We both got out alive and we're heading home. That is all that matters."

Taking a hold of his arm, Sakura leaned her head against Lee's shoulder and looked out towards the horizon.

"We are going home," Lee agreed and the two of them gazed off into the distance towards Konaha.

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The End of Chronicle One


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